“If you like traditional roguelikes, this is the exact game you should add to your collection.”

Chisel Through the Ruins of 1,000-Year-Old Civilizations as a Mutant in Caves of Qud — Now Available on Early Access

A science-fantasy roguelike epic from the creators of Sproggiwood

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — July 15, 2015 — Freehold Games, the indie studio behind the award-winning Sproggiwood, is pleased to announce the much-awaited arrival of Caves of Qud on Steam Early Access (Windows, Mac, and Linux). In development for more than 10 years, Caves of Qud combines traditional roguelike features such as white-knuckle gameplay, extensive character customization, and permadeath with an expansive, exotic, open-world experience that harkens back to ‘70s science fiction.

Caves of Qud is set thousands of years after the fall of civilization, which left behind mysterious ruins and technological wonders eventually reclaimed by nature. Since then, society has recovered somewhat — and now adventure-seekers (mutants or True Kin) see the vine-swathed ruins of Qud as Utopia . . . a long-lost Paradise on Earth.

With more than 70 mutations to choose from, Caves of Qud offers unparalleled character customization. Want to play a mutant with two heads, or four arms, or quills, or wings? You can. Want to play a psychic with mind control, or the power to stop time, or the ability to clone yourself? You can.

The game offers players a unique combination of procedural map generation and persistent set pieces. The overworld map and its cities remain consistent, while local maps and caves are procedurally-generated. The longer you survive Qud’s chrome halls (which are filled with technological treasures and many dangers), the more of the plot you’ll uncover.

Every inch of Qud is diggable, meltable, destructible, and plunderable. You have the freedom to play any way you like — whether you choose to accept quests, explore the world, or join a cult led by a sentient cave bear. The choice is yours!

Surviving more than five minutes in Qud’s wilderness will require you to master its brutal roguelike gameplay, which includes: frantic turn-based combat against Qud’s hundreds of NPCs and monsters; skill-based RPG systems; and of course, permadeath. You will also need to keep yourself fed, clothed, and hydrated if you plan to return home alive. Be careful not to consume all your water: It just so happens to be Qud’s main currency.

Caves of Qud also features an in-depth crafting system that (depending on your character’s skill levels) can have you creating everything from swords to laser rifles that may rip your enemies to shreds. As if that wasn’t enough, the game also includes a full-fledged bartering system, a complex liquid simulation, and a nested network of faction and NPC relationships. (Yes, mollusks really do dislike Mehmet for eavesdropping on their secret ceremonies.)

“We’ve been working on Caves of Qud for more than a decade. This game has been our passion for so long that we couldn’t wait any longer to finally release it on Steam,” says Brian Bucklew, co-founder of Freehold Games. “Players will never be bored — assuming they can last more than five minutes, that is. The Grue had nothing on the many beasts and wonders of Qud!”

Key Features

Assemble your character from more than 70 mutations and 24 castes and kits: Outfit yourself with wings, two heads, quills, four arms, flaming hands, or the power to clone yourself; it’s all the character diversity you could ever want.

Explore procedurally-generated regions with some familiar locations: Each world is nearly one million maps large. Seriously.

Dig through everything: Don’t like the wall blocking your way? Dig through it with a pickaxe, eat through it with your corrosive gas mutation, or melt it to lava. Yes, every wall has a melting point.

Hack the limbs off monsters: Every monster and NPC is as fully simulated as the player. This means they have levels, skills, equipment, faction allegiances, and body parts. So if you have a mutation that lets you psionically dominate a spider, you can traipse through the world as a spider — spinning webs and eating things.

Pursue allegiances with over 60 factions: Apes, crabs, robots, and highly entropic beings — just to name a few.

Follow the plot to Barathrum the Old: A sentient cave bear leads a sect of tinkers intent on restoring technological splendor to Qud.

Learn the lore: There’s a tale in every nook — from legendary items with storied pasts to in-game history books written by plant historians.

Die: The game is brutally difficult, and deaths are permanent. Don’t worry, though: You can always roll a new character!

Pricing and Availability

Caves of Qud is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux through Steam Early Access for $9.99.

About Freehold GamesFreehold Games is an independent studio dedicated to building imaginative games founded by Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinblat, who grew up playing games together. In 2012, Brian and Jason began to collaborate with artist Jaana Heiska. Freehold’s mission is to build games they want to play — usually involving offbeat settings, interesting tactical situations, and a whole lot of emergence in the tradition of the roguelike genre. For more information about Freehold Games, please visit: http://www.freeholdgames.com/

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